


Pilot Episode: The Alternative Version

by Doranwen



Series: Doranwen's Semi-Abandoned WIPs [2]
Category: Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye
Genre: Alpha Reader Needed, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Gun Violence, Gunshot Wounds, Not Beta Read, Pilot Episode, Read at Your Own Risk, WIP, not actively being written, posted for those who like reading WIPs that may never be finished
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-11-23
Updated: 2010-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:26:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26137294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doranwen/pseuds/Doranwen
Summary: A split-second delay in the actions of a dog results in a very different set of events in the pilot episode.
Series: Doranwen's Semi-Abandoned WIPs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897975
Kudos: 3





	Pilot Episode: The Alternative Version

**Author's Note:**

> I got stalled on this one due to the medical research needed - and having no idea where I would take it from there. I still have no idea, but I figured I would at least post so people could read and see what there is.
> 
> In case you missed the tags: This is unfinished. It is not being worked on. It may always be unfinished (unless someone really wants to see it finished and is willing to do a LOT of chatting with me to help that). You have been warned; don't expect any more of this fic to be posted (though you can always hit the Subscribe button; one never knows what might happen!).

Jack leaned against the brick in the warehouse room, fingers quietly tapping his thighs. His eyes concentrated on the screens, scanning for the first sight of their targets. Occasionally he glanced over the others; by now they worked smoothly as a team, but there was always the chance of someone getting too antsy.

If anyone asked him, he would always say his favorite part of the job was knowing the bad guys were off the streets and secured, but there was a secret measure of thrill during the surveillance part. It hearkened back to fifth grade, when he and his band of schoolyard buddies stalked spies from behind the bushes and arrested them. (He was always the leader, coaxing a reluctant friend into acting as the latest criminal they would take down.) Now, nearly twenty years later, he still talked covertly into hidden mics and kept his gun ready; the biggest difference was the authenticity of the equipment.

His thoughts were interrupted as the door opened suddenly and Agent Peters from the other team pushed an older man in front of him. "We found this guy outside. He claims he's here with Sue Thomas." Peters' voice held a faint note of irritation.

"Is one of you guys Jack Hudson?" queried the older man, and Jack closed his eyes as the world turned upside down.

* * *

The death rate among FBI agents was extremely low, but it could and did happen; Shep's death had brought that to Jack's attention very sharply. After the funeral, he had lingered at the gravesite to make Shep a couple promises. One, he would find Shep's killer and bring him to justice. Two, he would make sure no other teammate died on his watch. He hadn't gotten very far with the first yet, but he would not relinquish the second.

Amidst the frustration and dread brought on by the older man's comments, determination forced its way through; Sue would not be next.

"Bobby, do you see anyone out there?" He found himself praying as he waited for the answer. _God, please let her be visible and safe._ Bobby's negative response elicited a mental oath that wouldn't have gone over well with his mother, and he immediately whirled into action. "Tara, give me an earpiece," he commanded. She obeyed the order without hesitation, reaching into her pocket for one of the extras they hadn't needed yet. He traded the headset for the tiny electronic device, catching the subtle glance of approval she gave him before she turned back to the video screen.

"Jack…" Myles' voice and body language spoke volumes regarding his disapproval.

Jack felt more than a little irritation at how the blond agent questioned the way he was handling the situation. He suspected that no small part of the disapproval was due to the fact that it was _Sue Thomas_ out there. At some point that would have to be dealt with, he reminded himself as he slipped out the door past D, who continued his patient watch out the window.

* * *

Jack slipped around the corner, ears alert for the slightest sound that might give away Sue's location. The door to the building burst open and he reacted quickly, darting into a hidden corner and crouching behind a metal tub. He held his breath, hoping they wouldn't glance into the shadows, and let out a quiet breath as the Russian chatter drifted into the distance.

"It's showtime," came Tara's voice in his ear.

Jack's spirits sank. He didn't have a lot of chances to find Sue before their targets did, at this point. D's warning only added to the desperation. He watched the helicopter touch down, crossing his fingers in hopes that somehow she was hidden enough not to be spotted with the light.

"OK, look, we're ready to move," prompted Bobby. The deadly enemy of indecision gripped Jack as he twisted back and forth. If they moved now, they could be getting themselves into a hostage situation, with Sue as the central prize. If they waited, Solanovich might slip away.

"Jack, we're ready," Myles reminded somewhat sharply, cutting short his deliberation.

 _I hope this works_ , Jack thought, and gave them his assent. He clicked the safety off his gun, holding it ready.

"Lock and load, boys and girls," came Myles' voice, a bit sardonically.

Jack gazed steadily at the helicopter as two of the men went forward to greet Solanovich. When the third came into view, Jack's heart nearly stopped and his eyes grew wide as he spotted the man holding onto the arm of a blonde woman with a dog on leash. _Sue…_

* * *

For a moment Jack couldn't breathe. _No, no, this can't happen…_ He was snapped out of it quickly as Bobby declared, "Let's go."

Instinctively Jack ordered, "Wait, wait, wait, don't move, don't move," and was grateful that Bobby went with the flow of the situation so quickly. His mind whirled with possibilities. How could he rescue her without getting her, or someone else, killed? He tuned out Myles' reaction, trying to concentrate on formulating a plan.

"They've got her," stated Tara quietly.

Jack winced at the nightmare this was becoming. "Everybody stand by," he ordered firmly. One false move and they'd be looking at a hostage situation that Sue would not likely walk away from. He had to remind himself to breathe slower. _Deep breaths, deep breaths._ He stared after her, wishing he could will her next to him instead.

"Jack? What's going on?" came the familiar Aussie accent.

There was no other choice. No other way to rescue her. _Forgive me, Bobby, but this is one risk I **have** to take._ "OK, nobody move. Dimitrius, you coordinate all the others. I'm going in after Sue. If you lose contact with me, do not come in after me; I repeat, do not come in after me. Wait for them to come out." No one said anything in response, which was just as well; he'd rather deal with their anger later.

Gun in hand, Jack inched toward the door. _God, if I ever needed your help before, now's the time._

* * *

He knew he was going against all his training. At Quantico, they stressed the importance of working with the team. When they used overwhelming force, the criminals quickly gave up to save their own lives. But one agent alone was very, very vulnerable. Jack felt exposed without a teammate right behind him, but he couldn't think of another way to do this. Sue had seen too much, and she could identify them, which made her a liability to them. The sooner they got rid of her, the better for them. He wasn't about to have to tell her parents that he got their daughter killed.

Quietly, and ever so carefully, Jack slipped through the door and followed the group at a safe distance. His heart pounded, and his palms felt clammy. _Now!_ he felt the inner voice of instinct that he trusted, and he whirled his gun up in front of him, yelling, "F.B.I, drop it!"

The group whirled to face them, and in the split second that followed he read their faces with a sinking heart. They weren't going to give up that easily. The little voice was screaming in his head as he threw himself sideways in hopes their shot would be off. Mid-fall, a white-hot lance of pain shot through his shoulder and he could barely think enough to point his gun at them upon landing.

It felt like a nightmare in slow motion. Tara's exclamation of shock and Dimitrius' orders echoed in his ear from light-years away as he looked back toward Sue. "Jack!" she screamed, and started running toward him.

"Sue, no!" he cried out, watching in stunned horror as one of the men raised a gun behind her. Seared into memory would forever be the sight of her desperate eyes, falling, falling, and Levi's leap a second too late.

* * *

Hours later, if someone asked him, Jack couldn't have said exactly which agents apprehended the shooter; he stopped paying attention as soon as he heard Myles' voice. _Sue!_ How badly was she hurt? He strained to lift his head, wincing at the sharp pain in his shoulder. Sue wasn't moving, and his heart nearly stopped until he heard a moan from her direction, intermingled with the whines and barks from Levi. Jack groaned as he tried a little hard to sit up without using his hands. Maybe if he took his hand off just a few seconds, till he was sitting up . . . ?

"Jack, lie back down right now and keep your hand over the wound. I can't treat both of you at the same time." Tara, as the newest member of the unit, didn't usually give Jack orders, but he didn't need more than one look at her determined face as she ran up with the first aid kit to know he'd better obey. Jack meekly obeyed, but turned his head enough to observe as she proceeded to strip her field jacket off, revealing a cotton tank top, and laid it down next to Sue before trying to turn her on her back. Levi's whimpers and barks became more frantic, and he kept nosing Sue's face as Tara tried to check her breathing. "Someone get this dog and put him somewhere else!" Tara's voice had a note of desperation in it.

His hand firmly over the wound, Jack strained to sit up again. He didn't know how he could hold onto Levi's leash and his wound at the same time but maybe he could try. "I can take the dog with me," called the older man who had come with Sue. He stood at the corner near the surveillance room, seeming hesitant to move further. Jack relaxed back down.

"Now, please," demanded Tara, who sagged in relief when Myles came up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder, prompting a deep breath from her and renewed pressure on Sue's wound. He then turned to the first aid kit.

"How are you doing, Jack?" The blond man glanced his way swiftly before ripping off more gauze.

"I'll be fine," Jack called back, noting the grim looks on their faces. His worry level went up another notch. "How's Sue?" _Please let her be OK,_ he found himself begging in his mind.

"She'll be fine," Tara answered quickly. Too quickly. Jack knew from experience that Tara was usually very honest, but need-to-know could cause her to say just about anything. The fact that Myles **wasn't** saying anything told him a lot. Jack's heart sank, and his stomach, which had been doing just fine, started to knot up uncomfortably.

"Hey mate, you OK?" came a welcome accent. _Bobby._ He would make a good distraction from all the things Jack couldn't change right now.

Jack craned his head to catch a glimpse of his best friend. "Could be better. You got the last of them?"

Bobby tore some gauze and moved Jack's hand to press it against his bullet wound. "Yup, all packed away and under guard. I told the other team to just keep an eye on them right now till we can get more agents here. Someone's got to take care of the results of your temporary stupidity." Bobby said the last line with a wink, but it rang true for Jack. He **had** been stupid, incredibly stupid. And his stupidity might have killed Sue.


End file.
